Pagina 412 van 896

They turned into the wine-shop, which was closed (for it was

midnight), and where Madame Defarge immediately took her post at

her desk, counted the small moneys that had been taken during her

absence, examined the stock, went through the entries in the

book, made other entries of her own, checked the serving man in

every possible way, and finally dismissed him to bed. Then she

turned out the contents of the bowl of money for the second time,

and began knotting them up in her handkerchief, in a chain of

separate knots, for safe keeping through the night. All this

while, Defarge, with his pipe in his mouth, walked up and down,

complacently admiring, but never interfering; in which condition,

indeed, as to the business and his domestic affairs, he walked up

and down through life.